[9] Lord dealt with spasmodic dysphonia during the recording sessions; she was also disinclined to practice the songs or memorize the lyrics, leading her to retrospectively refer to Baby Blue as a "midlife crisis" album.

[21] The Washington Post concluded that "the folk-rock arrangements, the blended lyricism of female vocal with lead guitar, the frustrated longing and such Britishisms as 'Cold Kilburn Rain' inevitably recall Fairport Convention."

[23] The Chicago Tribune noted that "Lord sounds most convincing when she's actually singing her own material, whether it's 'Long Way from Tupelo' or the token growin' older number '43'.

"[24] Goldmine said that the album is "nearly quaint—a folk record steered by Lord's post-punk fall-out, family life and not-so-scarring battle with the majors.

[13] The Chicago Sun-Times considered the album "a keeper, with a beautiful, gently swaying Gram Parsons/Emmylou Harris druggie-country lilt, and a strong pop sensibility that offsets the occasional flash of precious singer-songwriter pretensions.